Lords of Dogtown DVD Review

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Skateboarders from California turn empty swimming pools into backyard skateparks in Lords of Dogtown. Check out pictures and reviews of this skateboarding movie starring Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch.

A group of kids from California turn empty swimming pools into backyard skateparks in Lords of Dogtown.

Lords of Dogtown - Pioneers of Skate

Back in the 1970s, long before the days of the X Games and Tony Hawk, skateboarding was barely a blip on the sports radar. But skateboarding was changed forever when a bunch of teen surf bums from California slapped some urethane wheels on their skateboards and started sessions in empty backyard swimming pools. Lords of Dogtown is based on the true story of these kids and how they went from being regular teens to skateboard superstars overnight. The movie focuses on skate legends Stacy Peralta (played by John Robinson), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) and how their lives were changed by the fame, money and lifestyle of pro skating.

Lords of Dogtown - 70s Skateboarding Action

The best scenes Lords of Dogtown are the skateboarding stunts that take place in the back alleys and empty swimming pools of Venice, California. You'll see lots of great shots of skaters ollying over trash cans and pulling off 180s in abandoned pools. There are also some pretty funny bits where the boys have to run from cops and angry homeowners, who aren't exactly thrilled to see their backyards turned into hangouts for teenage skate punks. It's hard to believe that the skateboarding antics of a group of teens 30 years ago paved the way for the X Games and the other big vert comps, which you see today.

Lords of Dogtown - DVD Features

For skateboard peeps who didn't get enough action from the movie, the Lords of Dogtown DVD will satisfy your craving. Hear from the real live Z Boys on how they helped to develop the movie, witness all the bails and wipeouts that happened during filming and find out how they pulled off some of the sick stunts they did! This is a must-have DVD for skateboarders everywhere!

Lords of Dogtown - The Bottom Line

Lords of Dogtown is worth seeing if you love skateboarding and especially skateboarding history. It's also a neat look at how things like money, girls and fame can break apart even the closest of friends. There are some good acting performances from Emile Hirsch and Heath Ledger, as the team's irresponsible sponsor. But this flick isn't nearly as good as the original documentary, Dog Town and Z-Boys, which tells the same story and has much better skate footage. Wait for Lords of Dogtown to come out on DVD and rent the original documentary first if you want a real skateboarding fix.